Homeless Memorial Vigil 2010

NEWS RELEASE

Download the 2010 program and list of names

Contact:
BJ Iacino
biacino@coloradocoalition.org
office 303-285-5223

Date:                December 21, 2010
Time:                5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Location:         1437 Bannock Street — Denver, Colorado

MORE THAN 140 HOMELESS MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN DIED IN THE DENVER METROPOLITAN AREA IN 2010

THESE PREVENTABLE TRAGEDIES UNDERSCORE THE VITAL NEED FOR HOUSING AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES – ESPECIALLY MENTAL HEALTHCARE.

Denver (December 21, 2010) – For the twenty-fifth year, several hundred concerned citizens gathered on the steps of the Denver City and County Building this evening to attend the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil.

Hosted by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), the candlelight vigil and name-reading ceremony paid tribute to 145 people who lived on the streets of the Denver metropolitan area and died during 2010. This was the only memorial service that will be conducted for most of these individuals.

Speakers included: John Parvensky, President, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless; the Honorable Bill Vidal, Deputy Mayor, City of Denver; Colorado State Senator Lucia Guzman, Minister; Randle Loeb, CCH Board Member; members of the CCH Consumer Advisory Board and the NU Spirit Gospel Choir.

The Office of Governor Bill Ritter released a proclamation stating that December 21, 2010 is "Homeless Persons' Memorial Day" in the State of Colorado.

Of those recognized, 31 were women, 114 were men; and they ranged in age from 2 months to 81 years. Causes of death included cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, substance abuse, hypothermia due to exposure, vehicular accidents, suicide and murder.

The inability to access appropriate healthcare services results in extremely high rates of poor health. Some health conditions that are more prevalent among homeless people than in the general population – such as asthma, hypertension, diabetes, addictions, mental illnesses, and HIV/AIDS – are known to undermine the family and social supports that provide a safeguard against homelessness for many vulnerable people.

Homeless people experience illnesses at three to six times the rates experienced by housed people. Overall, the average life expectancy for Americans is almost 80 years of age; yet, for those that experience frequent homelessness, the probable life span is somewhere between 42 and 52 years.

“Health problems cause homelessness and homelessness causes health problems,” said John Parvensky, President of Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. “Homelessness complicates efforts to treat illness and people die unnecessarily. Each of these deaths could’ve been prevented with a stable home and access to quality and integrated healthcare services – especially mental healthcare.”

People experiencing homelessness are mercilessly exposed to the elements, to violence, to communicable diseases, and to parasitic infestations. Circulatory, dermatological, and musculoskeletal problems are common results of excessive walking, standing, and sleeping sitting up. Homelessness and poor nutrition go hand-in-hand, increasing vulnerability to acute and chronic illnesses. Stresses associated with homelessness also reduce resistance to disease, account for the emergence of some mental illnesses, and enhance the false promises of relief offered by alcohol and drugs.

The healthcare delivery system is not well attuned to the realities of living without stable housing. Healthcare facilities often are located far from where homeless people stay, public transportation systems are insufficient or nonexistent in many places, and most homeless people don’t have cars. Clinic appointment systems are not easily negotiated by people without telephones, for whom other survival needs (finding food and shelter) may take priority. Standard treatment plans often require resources not available to homeless persons, such as places to obtain bed rest, refrigeration for medications, proper nutrition, or clean bandages.

The Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic was an indispensable option for homeless individuals in 2010. There is never a charge for services. Fees might literally mean the difference between life and death. On average, 12,000 patients are served each year, but many more still need help, especially for mental healthcare services.

Although there is no official tracking of homeless deaths in Colorado, the Coalition conducts the count in conjunction with the Denver Coroner’s Office and through a coordinated process involving more than 25 homeless service organizations, in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area, representing medical clinicians and other healthcare professionals; case managers; outreach and social workers; hospice, shelter and emergency service personnel; housing managers; chaplains; volunteers and others who provide direct assistance for those that are homeless.

The Vigil is held in association with the National Coalition for the Homeless Campaign: National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. In 2009, over 152 communities participated in the campaign across the United States.

The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. The Coalition advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being and stability of those it serves. For more information, please visit www.coloradocoalition.org

The 2010 Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Roster follows:

Daniel Adkins
Gerardo Aguilar, Jr.
Orlando Arellano
Michael Barker
Elfriede Beall
Marshal Beck
Donald “Sarge” Beebe
Jason Beierle
John Edward Bienick
Jeremy Bitner
Marie Boudreau
Juan Bravo
Morris Brooks
Benjamin Brothers
Bethel James Fierro
Paul Finney
Sean Fresques
Patrick Gallivan
Francisco Garcia
Jonathon Garrett
Gregory Gasser
Scott Gillette
Freddie Gioia
Thomas Glass
Roslyn Goodrich
Gabriel Gonzalez
Kerry Gordon
Ginger Griffiths
Tanya Guervara
Douglas Robert Hall
Kenneth Harlan
Enoch Harvey
Thomas Hecomovich
Deborah “Noah” Helmke
Jeff Hengst
Carlos Herrera
Janet Hodgson
David Jenkins
Luca Keep
Delores Keithline
John Keys
Marvell Kindred
Rebecca Koughn
Terry Kramer
David Krogman
Chuck Kutscher
Katrina Larson
J.D. LeLeeuw
Kent Long
Lilly

Gailey Brown
Leerolline Burke
Christopher Cappuccilli
Nick Capra
John Carter
Cyndy Castellano
Danny Castillo
Rachel Castro
Nick Chavez
Charles Christo
Daniel Lee Coleman
Avril Collier
Quenton Condon
Michael Lovato
James Lynn
Michael Marchant
Deborah Martinez
Raul Martinez
Viola Martinez-Trujillo
Manual Marquez
Michael Meredith
Daniel Miles
Joseph Miller
Ralph “Halfbreed” Miller
Tom Moffitt
David Montoya
Danny Moon
Paul Moreno
Randy Morse
Luis Muniz
Jim Nelson
William Norris
Nanette Kay O’Brien
Mary Olson
Ralph Opgenorth
Abdullahi Osman
Joe Pelham
Tim Peterson
Barry Pierce
Eric Pittman
Richard Ploski
Marcos Prado-Valencia
Justin Purkey
Peter Quibell
Lisa Ragsdale
Eugene Redwine
Raymond Scott Renkert
Matthew Reynolds

Carol Cordoba
Liboria Coria-Campos
Danny Craig
Ronald Craggs
Vince Cullotta
Thomas Dalgetty
Michael Anthony DeRogatis
Casey Dean
Sally Dean
Rory Dechant
Scott Decker
Justin Drew
Lisa Ersland
Tom Fehervary
Anna Robuck
Antonio Rodriguez
Lee Romero, Sr.
Anthony Roziers
Armond Sarracino
Paul Aaron Savely
Larry Schelkopf
Andrea Scherer
Kim Schrock
Susann Marie Segundo-Garcia
Christopher Sherwood
Phillip Smith
Gerald Strickland
Joseph Sullivan
Anita Susco
Michael Templeton
Keith Torgersen
Marvin Torres
Douglas Towell
Kimberly Tubbleville
Steven Trujillo
T.J. Trujillo
Sam Valdez
Veronica Vigil
Loris Walker
Dwain Walmsley
Brian Wichek
Johnny Yeager
Monte Zing
Jerry
Viola
Crowzee

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Last Updated: March 21, 2011